In what was the biggest event of the young indoor track and field season, the men’s squad finished second in a 16-team field at the Penn State Invite. Among the team’s successes in University Park on Jan. 17 was a pair of first-place finishes, as well as three-second place marks during the day.
Junior Ryan Schmidt led the Red with a victory in the long jump, while junior Zach Beadle netted a first-place finish with a throw of 55-11 in the shot put event.
“Every kid on the team competed hard and didn’t give up,” said head coach Nathan Taylor. “We finished ahead of some powerhouse teams in Georgetown and Rutgers.”
The Red finished the day’s events with a total score of 94.50 points, seven and a half points behind the host Penn State. The second-place result was an improvement over the team’s performance in the Cornell Open on Jan. 11.
“In the first meet some portions of the team were exceptional while others were abysmal,” Taylor said. “I was not pleased with the level of focus for the Cornell Open.”
The Red looks forward to the next challenge of the young indoor season, as it hosts Colgate, Buffalo, Toronto, Syracuse, and Albany in Barton Hall tomorrow.
“Each of the teams that will be here bring a number of outstanding individuals so we’ll be severely tested in every event. It looks like the high jump and the 400 will be the most competitive and the deepest events,” said Taylor.
Archived article by Josh Fox